"So Klee and the others actually chose the so-called 'path of trials'?"
Holding the Vampire Fruit in one hand and gently scratching Little Plushie's chin with the other, Xie Wen sought confirmation from Robin.
"Yep, yep! The trials inside were really fun, meow!"
(=`=)
Before Robin could answer, Little Plushie, who had tilted her head back to make it easier for Xie Wen to scratch her chin, excitedly began recounting their adventure in her tiny, kittenish voice, her words mingling with purrs.
"...It's just that Touma was as unlucky as ever. He kept falling into traps for one reason or another. If he hadn't already learned Armament Haki, he would've lost at least three or four lives, meow."
Xie Wen looked at the utterly despondent Mr. Kamijou beside them. Compared with the others, who had at most gotten a little dusty, the little black-and-white kitten looked far more bedraggled. Not only was his plain school uniform in tatters, but several patches of his fur had gone bald.
Well, this look certainly fit Touma Meow's established "cat persona."
"I was so stupid. Really."
(-)
Touma Meow raised his lifeless eyes and continued, "I only knew that Klee had always been lucky and wouldn't be in danger. I didn't know that luck was hers alone, meow..."
"Uh..."
Xie Wen hadn't expected a single adventure through some ruins to leave Touma Meow on the verge of becoming Xianglin Meow.
It seemed this really had dealt him a heavy blow.
But thinking about it, that made sense. He had clearly made the same choices as Klee Meow, yet Little Plushie had enjoyed herself immensely the whole way while he had borne the brunt of everything. It was only natural that he would fall apart.
Holding back his laughter, Xie Wen reached out and scooped